It was a sudden fall from grace for former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, once a sure bet to win the Republican nomination for Georgia lieutenant governor.

Instead the former Georgia Republican Party chairman was defeated handily by a little-known state senator who successfully tied Reed to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Reed was paid $4 million to rally Christian voters against Indian casinos to benefit competing gambling interests that employed Abramoff. Reed has never been accused of a crime, but, then again, hypocrisy's not illegal. Voters obviously didn't appreciate that the righteous Reed joyfully did the bidding of gambling interests.